Blank Canvas
by thisisthelasttime
Summary: Cassie was satisfied with hiding away from her familie's business but when her sister visits to ask her to paint some portraits for charity, how can she refuse?
1. Chapter 1

The white foam of the waves bubbled and frothed as the water became more unstable. I stopped for a moment, smiling as I took in the beautiful sight in front of me before continuing to try and paint it. Large splatters wetting me slowly at first made me pack up a little of my belongings, Hamptons weather could be a little unstable. But as they dropped more frequently I knew I had to get out of the rain fast or else my painting would be ruined.

Grabbing as much as I could, I run up through the sand to my little blue cottage where I drop most of the paints and of course the canvas to run down to the water and grab the last of my belongings. Laughing to myself, I take a moment to let myself to be immersed in this small shower.

Back on my porch, I unlock the front door and bring in my painting, the rest of the supplies will be fine until tomorrow. "There you are Cass" I jump as my sister Steph comes into sight.

"Jesus Steph give me a heartattack why don't you"

She laughs a hearty chuckle, something inherited from our father that passed me by. "Sorry Cass I did call but you left your phone here. What if something happened to you?"

"Steph I live by the ocean in a quiet town that's only busy when the tourists are here. I'm very sure nothing bad ever happens here"

"Pish posh, take your phone with you always. You never know if I need to get hold of you"

"Steph you call to rant mostly or to invite me to your tv show thingy"

"Exactly, you're always holed up in here except for the holidays but I came to ask you a huge favour"

"Go on then"

"So Paul and I were thinking and we want you to join us on the road with the company, dad agrees by the way. We want to commission some paintings of the crew to be auctioned off for charity and I can't think of a better painter than you"

"Why can't I do this from here?"

"We want the paintings to be real, to show the subject in their element and I know how particular you are about using other people's photos to draw from so I want you to photograph the matches, backstage etc and paint them all yourself. Everything is your property and we'll pay you if you want?"

"Steph if it's for charity then I want no payment. Instead buy my supplies but how long is this for? I have a few shows for my art in New York from February to March"

"That's fine by me. Please will you do it?" 

"Yes" She hugs me jumping up a little in excitement. "Calm down, I don't want any attention at this company by the way"

She looked a little upset as she spoke. "You don't want them to know you're a McMahon?"

"Not really. I like my solitude as you might guess by the Hamptons" I love my home, my town and the fact it was so laid back and peaceful.

Steph looked like she wanted to argue back but chose not to. "I understand your reasons and as your sister I'll support you. How soon can you fly out?"

"I need about a day or two to pack up here and make sure I can get a neighbour to look after my house whilst I'm away. When do you need to get back to Paul and the kids?"

"Oh they'll be fine. Paul wanted to spend time with them anyway so I'll help you pack and I can write down an inventory of supplies you need"

"Aw thanks Steph, my art room is in the back there. I'm just going to call next door and ask if they can look after here" She nods, heading into my supply room as I move towards the kitchen where my landline is.

I dial next door and wait for dear old Deirdre to answer. "Hi Deirdre it's Cassie from next door. I was wondering if you could keep an eye on my house for a while. Oh about a year max but I can give you a call every month or so or give you my sister's phone number as I'll be with her. Yes everything is fine in the family. Aww thank you, I'll drop a key round tomorrow. Thank you, goodnight". Hanging up the line, I start to tidy up the kitchen, moving the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and straightening up any papers lying around the countertops.

Satisfied with that, I move into the hallway and grab my old black suitcase from the cupboard it hid away in. Wheeling it to my bedroom, I toss it on my bed and unzip it. "Um Steph what do I need to bring with me clothes-wise?" I call out to her.

Opening my wardrobe and a few drawers, I stood with my hands on my hips unsure of what to pack. Of course I had packed underwear and nightwear but I didn't know how to dress as I always saw Steph in her corporate gear or something completely smart-casual.

Thankfully Steph padded into my room and immediately started going through my wardrobe only stopping to throw clothes out for me to pack. "There that should do for now. I've taken photos of your paints, brushes and canvases and sent them to the finance people to buy but I want you dressed how you normally do. Okay not those shorts and ratty old jumper but you know jeans etc. Something that allows you to work comfortably whilst blending in" She said after we'd packed the last of the clothes she deemed appropriate. At least they were jeans, t-shirts and jumpers mixed with a few vests and shorts that might suit the warmed states.

"Oh that's fine. I worried you might make me wear suits etc. I think I'd rebel on purpose then" I teased holding up a pair of jeans that had more holes in than they really should do.

"They are not coming with us" She said trying to take them from my hands. "If I get my hands on them, I swear I'm going to toss them"

"There goes my plan to wear them for the flight" I half-joke.

"Actually then that's fine. If you're comfortable wearing them, go for it" She said having a quick change of mind. Surprised, I looked up at my older sister and for once seeing how much she'd changed in the past ten years.

Gone was the tight-laced girl who never disobeyed her parents, the sister who always tried to scold her siblings and instead was a vibrant, strong woman who ran a successful company, had a beautiful family and had strengthened all bonds with her siblings. I loved my sister now, more than I used to now I was older.

"Steph thanks for this. I mean supporting me and popping in like this" I said suddenly catching her off guard but she smiled softly moving closer to me and I hugged my sister tightly. "Let's go order food before we end up over-emotional" I joke and she ruffles my hair in that older sister way.

"About time squirt"


	2. Chapter 2

Leaving my little house alone for the next months or possibly year felt so weird. I hadn't left it for so long since I bought the place a few years back and the face Steph was with me felt even weirder. But by the time I'd tried to even think about going back, it was too late.

I think Steph knew I was a bit jittery and she tried her hardest to distract me or push me to the airport gates or through the exit where our car waited. "Oh Cass I can't thank you enough for this, honestly if you need anything from me in life now, I'm yours" She said oh so dramatically.

I laughed at her. "Steph it's fine. I'm happy to do anything for charity plus it means I get to see my big sister at work which should be fun"

"You'll think it's fun but it depends on who you meet first of the crew. The girls are lovely so you'll have no problem with them but some of the guys can be a bit of a handful but show them that McMahon attitude and you'll be fine"

"Oh god. I almost forgot you work in a testosterone fueled business. How do you cope?"

"Cassie hun I have three daughters and my husband is as manly as they get, I cope just fine. It's you I'm worried about"

"Me why"

"One: You're my little sister, two: You're my sister and three: you're innocent and sweet. I don't want any of those guys to wreck or destroy that"

I looked over to my sister not surprised she would pull the overprotective role. "You do know that someday I'm going to try and settle down and you might not like my choice?"

"Yes but I can hope it's not one of my men as they're never going to be good enough for you"

"Stephie it's going to be fine plus I'm too young for anything serious now. I'm twenty two and happy painting in my cottage"

"Another reason I worry. You're isolated"

"You say isolated, I say paradise"

We shared a mock stareoff that leaves us in a fit of giggles. By this point the car has pulled up outside a large arena. "Okay here we go" Steph says composing herself whilst I sober up. We hold hands for a moment and she squeezes mine reassuringly. "Let's go find Paul and the girls"

We exit the car and grab our luggage, tipping the driver generously as he drives off. Then I follow Steph through security backstage where my eyes widen taking in all the sights and sounds. I see crew members building small sets and equipment, wrestlers walking around chatting between their friends and selected press members scribbling notes and taking photos of their experience. I chuckle as I see an elderly reporter taking a selfie with the infamous John Cena and more.

"Come on Cass" Steph calls from ahead. I shake my head and quicken my pace, trying not to look like a tourist in a famous town. She takes me down numerous corridors and confusing staircases until finally getting to one of those business suites where inside plays Paul and my beautiful nieces.

"Hey hun look who I found" Steph announces as she goes to greet her husband with a customary kiss on the lips. The kids hug and kiss their mother before running and jumping on me.

"Oh you've all grown. I remember when you guys were midgets" I tease hugging my little ones tight. "Hey Paul glad to see you looking as good in glitter as you do suits" I joke noting the amount of glitter adorning his usual immaculate clothing.

"Oh so funny of you Cassiopeia but it's nice to see you outside of family gatherings kiddo" He says coming over and rescuing me from his daughters. He gives my shoulder a squeeze though and I smile up at him, knowing he wasn't one for hugging.

"Well I couldn't say no to you guys and it is for charity so you had me then but of course the fact Steph came to ask me in person made it harder for me to decline. Thank you both again for asking me to do this" I say over dinner later that night. The three of us ended up eating out in a nearby Italian restaurant whilst the girls stayed with their nanny.

Paul took a quick sip of his beer. "Well I spoke to Steph about it and we both agreed we wanted it to be very personal but couldn't find an artist we liked enough to ask"

"It was then when we both looked at that painting you gave us for christmas and it became obvious we should ask you and here we are" Steph finished as she looked lovingly in her husband's eyes.

I took a sip of my water and picked up my fork. "Wow. I'm honoured to do this and I can't help but thank you both for the opportunity to get my art out there"

"Hun it's no problem. You told me you didn't want the family name to boost your work and instead worked your butt off to get yourself seen and heard" She paused to take another drink. "But here we are and you've got work in galleries and now you're going to be seen a lot more than those New York galleries"

"But my work will be featured in those galleries after I've done these portraits for you. I have to support the small galleries so other emerging artists can be seen and heard" I took a bite of my chicken and so did Paul. Steph however looked a little miffed. Maybe she didn't get me?

Dinner talk ended up being Paul discussing how close I could get to the wrestlers, what boundaries there were and that I'd always have a member of security nearby just in case things got a little _extreme. _I wasn't worried though, it was the family business and I had been around the 'violent' entertainment since I was a baby.

We ended up taking our desserts to go, all of us taking home a few brownies each for the girls who we had all arranged to have dinner with before they went back home for the school term. Because it was last minute of me joining my family and they hadn't thought I would agree so quickly, there wasn't a room for me to have solely alone which had left me with sleeping temporarily for the next two nights on a cot that had been quickly set up after we enquired about single rooms and any room available for me to have.

I wasn't bothered, I was used to little sleep due to my insomnia. The thing that did bother me though was that Steph and Paul ended up waking me up in the midst of the night with their romance. That was when I rummaged through my bags, finding my headphones and ipod along with a sketchbook. Therefore I was occupied until the sun rose again and I had three little girls all clamouring for me to draw them.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that day I found myself backstage once again. This time I was Steph-less and accompanied by a silent giant of a security guard. Of course this made me stand out, especially to the stars who were wondering in and out wearing their day clothes.

But despite the attention I had, I tried in vain to ignore it and continued to take photos of everything from walls, boxes and crew members setting up the various sound and camera systems. "Hey new girl want to take some proper photos?" A voice heckled to me and my guard tensed moving to cover me from this invisible threat.

Peering around the guard, I saw that I had somehow gained the attention of a scruffy looking man and rolled my eyes as I continued to do my job. We carried on moving, me taking quick photos of divas stretching, the men sitting in the empty seats and those mooching in the canteen area.

It was when I had sat down, tray of half-eaten food in front of me and looking through my photos of the day so far that someone sat down opposite me. I looked up in surprise knowing my shadow was keeping an eye on me from his stance against the wall behind me. "Can I help you?" I ask not looking up from the slide-show of photographs I was perusing.

"Well I couldn't help but notice you and your shadow documenting the stadium and naturally I'm a very curious person an-"

"Cut to the chase" I order getting rather impatient with whoever this was.

They cough and I look up, my green eyes narrowing. "What's your name and number sweetheart?" He asks and that's when I note the blonde hair, the tanned skin and the name printed in neon across his chest. Great I'd managed to catch the attention of Dolph bloody Ziggler.

"I'm not interested. Go talk to some other girl" I say dismissively hoping he'd get the hint.

Sadly though I was not fortunate and he stayed sat facing me. "What's wrong? You worried you'll get too attached?"

"No but she knows the boss lady if you know what I mean" Another male voice piped in. Oh boy this was just fantastic.

I turn to see who this newcomer is and sigh as I see the viper himself, Randy Orton. "Oh hi there Randall. How's Sam and Alanna?"

"They're good. Sam told me to tell you thanks for that picture of Alanna and wants that gallery email" He said breaking out of his tough guy exterior and showing the real teddybear underneath.

"Yeah that's fine, I'll hand it to Steph later"

"Okay now we're all caught up, why did you say she's with the bosslady?" Dolph asked Randall.

Randy looked at me and I shrugged. "Nick dude this is Cassie McMahon" He revealed and it was eerily silent as more people than Nick had heard and I was on the receiving end of a few curious looks.

"McMahon as in Vince McMahon?" Nick finally asked and I nodded.

"Vince is my grandfather, Vince Jr my father and Steph my older sister. Don't worry I'm not part of the business so your jobs safe but I'm here as a artist in residence almost" Both men looked confused so I had to explain a little more. "Basically I'll be at your matches or backstage and photographing you guys to then paint portraits that will be auctioned off for charity". Randy looked a little proud of me and even slapped me on the back as if I was one of the guys. I smiled softly at him.

"Whoa that's pretty sweet. Just let me know when you want to take my photo, I've got some great moves if you get me" He teased in what might be argued a flirtatious manner but it just came off quite pathetic.

Fidgeting with my camera, I'm a little unsure of how to word my reply. "Nick back off man and let her do what she wants, if she wants to paint you let her do it in her own time". Thank the lord for Randy having my back!

Nick clearly not liking this, gets up in a huff and pushes his chair under the table with a shrill squeak bringing more attention to my table. "Great just great" I murmur to myself already considering this a mistake.

"Cass don't worry about beach boy there, he's all words no action and girls always shoot him down"

Randy says looking a bit concerned.

"It's not that, I just don't want to make everyone hate me because I shot down one of their friends" I admit looking down at the black device.

"You'll be fine. Everyone laughs about Nick's advances" He explained laying an arm around my shoulder. "Besides you being a McMahon will make others either act like Nick or be a complete ass to you so be warned girlie". Randy squeezes my shoulders reassuringly before letting go completely and standing up.

I look up at him confused. "Where are you going?"

"To grab some grub and to rustle up more friends for you. You gotta meet more of the good uns here"

"Oh okay" He gets up and goes to leave. I can't help it, I reach out and grab hold of Randy's arm stopping him. "I just want to say thank you for everything" I say letting go of him and letting him walk on.


	4. Chapter 4

A few hours later and I was busy taking photos of Randy as he paraded himself downstage and did some of his fancy tricks. The crowds were going crazy at his little show and I couldn't help but be proud of my family and friends as I lost myself in the moment.

My finger pressed against the capture button, I tried to get some brilliant shots but even slightly unfocused would do. All I needed to paint with was a basic outline and then as time progressed I would be able to know my subject's facial expressions enough to be able to fill in those last minute details.

"Cass" I ignored whoever was shouting me as I leaned a bit closer over the edge just trying to get that perfect...

A large boulder stepped in front of my lens making me lean back and lower the device just to see who had the audacity to ruin my perfect shot. "Excuse me" I retort getting a wee bit annoyed.

"You see this is a match" He said in a rather gritty and nasally voice. "And you watch matches with your eyes and not through a lens" I looked up seeing a sweat and god knows what stained greying tank top, faint ginger stubble and a large dirty smirk playing across some male wrestlers face.

The referee, crowds and commentators go crazy. I see other photographers in the pit with me lapping up this moment and taking photos for me. "Well you see" I began to play that innocent poor me card. "I'm just trying to do my job so do us all a favour and do yours". I smile teasingly and raise my camera making him actually bark out a laugh before heading back into his match. What an ass.

The match soon ended with Randy winning and his opponents escaping through the crowds which striked me as weird. But whilst the lights dimmed again and the crew set up the next match, I took it as my chance to escape backstage to see my sister and to maybe start sketching up some drafts.

The corridors weren't as scary now that people dotted them but I felt a bit like the new kid in high school as a few looked up and watched me try and find Steph. I made my way through wrestlers, crew members and a few fans allowed backstage until finally I found Steph and Paul's office. Knocking gently, I opened the door and found myself walking into the chest of the guy from earlier. "You again?" He growled making me roll my eyes.

Steph looked rather alarmed as she heard his words. "Excuse me Mr Good but what is going on with you and my sister?" She asked watching his reaction carefully as his eyes widened.

"This is your sister? Christ sorry kid for my behaviour in the ring" His eyes twinkled as he said it and I knew for a moment that he didn't mean it. "I'm Jon by the way or as the crowd knows me, Dean Ambrose. Call me either" He holds out a hand for me to shake and I take it uncertain as to why I'm shaking hands with him.

"I'm Cassiopeia McMahon but call me Cass" I say introducing myself with a soft smile. Maybe he isn't as bad I thought. He looks at me strangely, like there's some weird emotion or thought but I shake it off and look behind him to my sister and her husband.

"I've got the photos of Randy for you guys so I'm going to head to the hotel and start a sketch on that now. However I think for practical reasons I'm going to have to paint these at home as they'll take forever to dry and it's just easier for me and you guys" I said hoping Paul at least would understand.

I forgot that Jon was in the room until he spoke. "Wait what's going on? Who's painting what?"

"Oh we were going to announce this in the morning to you and the rest of the employees but Cassie here agreed to paint you all so we can auction them off for charity"

I waited for the questions of if you're any good or the usual paint my good side but instead I got "That's quite impressive. If you let me know in advance I'll try to clean up some of my moves so you can get those shots"

"Thanks I appreciate it" He nods and leaves the room.

The office is quiet and weird except for Paul. Paul just types away at his laptop writing something or maybe playing a game. It was plausible either way. "Okay so I'll see you guys at the hotel. Call me if you desperately need me otherwise you'll see me when you're back" I say picking up my jacket and bags from the floor where I'd shoved them earlier in the day.

Steph gets up and hugs me whilst Paul gives me a nod. I smile softly and wave a goodbye as I make my way through the doorway back into the corridor.

"Hey so you said you were going back to the hotel and I was kinda wondering if you wouldn't mind company? One taxi is better than two" Jon said coming out from nowhere. I jumped seeing him leaning against the wall, a hand pushing through his messy curls. "Sorry didn't mean to scare you"

"It's fine but that's fine. Are you ready to go now?" I ask noting his lack of belongings.

He shakes his head. "I just have to grab my jacket and bag but I can meet you back here in five?"

I nod and watch as he runs off down some corridor. I guess it was just me that didn't understand the geography of this place. Leaning against the wall myself, I occupy the time scrolling through my phone and sending a quick message to one of my friends that lived nearby asking them if things were okay in my house. After that, I went through my email to see if the gallery had been in contact and found that one of my paintings so far had sold and a few were interested in some of my nautical pieces. Maybe things were picking up.

Footsteps got closer bringing me out of my bubble and I saw that Jon had returned wearing a leather jacket and carrying a holdall. "Okay I'm good now" He says close to me and we walk out of the venue side by side getting to know one another.


End file.
